


Detour Through Konoha

by butterbeer15



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Major Original Character(s), Minor Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-15
Updated: 2017-03-15
Packaged: 2018-04-18 09:03:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4700159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/butterbeer15/pseuds/butterbeer15
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cassandra Schumacher finds herself sucked through a portal into a whole new world. Why are these people so interested in her? What part does she want to play in this society? Turns out, she might not have much of a choice.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

A slight figure walked at a swift pace, head down with her mouth and nose covered by a knitted scarf to guard against the cold. Though the woman was wearing at least three layers of clothing underneath her coat, she was still cold if her shivering was anything to go by. Her black hair was long, plaited to keep out of her face. It always ended up dry and staticky during the cold winter months of Michigan. Freckles could be seen stretching under both her brown eyes and across the bridge of her nose. 

Carefully maneuvering with grace around an ice filled pothole in the pavement of the sidewalk, she felt like her feet were numb. Making her way up to a bland apartment building, her pace quickened into a light jog to get inside the heated foyer faster. She stepped into the lobby. Waving at the desk keeper, she headed for the elevator. But the woman never made it there.

Her body disappeared into thin air, leaving behind only a poof of smoke and a confused desk keeper. The investigation into the disappearance of the woman would last for months. But with little evidence of where she went, it was concluded a lost cause.

In our world at least...


	2. The Portal

Nothing made any sense. There was no sense of direction, she seemed to twirl every which way. Her body was squeezed and stretched making her feel like she was being pulled through a thin tube. It hurt, hurt, hurt, but she couldn’t feel anything at the same time.

Everything was muddled in her brain, making her incapable of deciphering anything. Her lungs burned. She didn’t know how much time had passed before an explosion erupted all around her. Sound and air and color and feeling came rushing back to her. She wasn’t even capable of a scream of terror when it suddenly stopped.

But she did throw up.

Groaning as she tried not to heave out what was left in her stomach after what had felt like the worst rollercoaster she had ever been on, the woman was just thankful the world had stopped moving. Gulping down that disgusting spit that always came before puking, she took a chance at looking about herself to gain her bearings. What she saw made her scramble to her feet, only to take a knee and dry heave. Wiping her mouth of sick, she staggered towards the only other inhabitant of the huge forest they were in. 

It was a boy, barely past the age of twelve, gasping for breath as he laid on the ground in a pool of his own blood. She rushed to his side, knees sliding into the puddle, staining her jeans a dull red. The boy coughed, spitting out more blood that spattered across his face. She was at a loss of what to do, there was so much blood and it was seeping out of his pores. Slowly but surely draining him of life.

“Anatahadare? Anata wa kamidesu ka?” He rasped to her, coughs racking his small body once more. “Watashi wa ima, okāsan o miru koto wa dekimasu ka?” The young boy begged, tears streaming down his face as he sniffed and tried not to sob.

The woman was struggling against doing the same. She didn’t even know him. “I’ll stay with you, okay? It’s all gonna be okay, I promise.” She shed her winter gloves before she took his bloodied hand in hers, feeling just how cold he already was.

The boy’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion and nodded, coughing, laying his head onto the dry earth until his eyes simply wouldn’t focus. He gasped a few more times, and the final breath rattled from his lungs. She sat there on her knees, holding the boy’s hand still, unable to process what had just happened. Laying his hand gently upon the ground, she leaned forward and shut the boy’s eyes gently.

There was a rattling of wood and clopping of horses hooves upon the dry ground that shook her from her position beside the corpse. Unsure of what to do, she stood, staying on the side of the road beside the boy while watching the approaching vehicle. It halted suddenly, the driver having spotted the scene and began shouting to the inhabitants of the carriage. 

The fear in her spiked dramatically, what would they do with her? Oh god, they thought she killed him didn’t they? Shit, they don’t even speak English how can she communicate with them? Looking around herself desperately, she noticed something that might help her. Grabbing the headband off the boy, she held it up to show the driver. Surely it meant something?

This caused more shouting, more aggravated than before it seemed. Shit, she fucked up. Scrambling again, she practically threw off her bag. She hoped and prayed to whatever was out there that they did indeed speak Japanese like she suspected. Accidentally smearing the boy’s blood on her kindle as she clicked frantically through it, she found several words she needed.

“Jiko! Jiko!” She shouted, making the man stop shouting himself. Swallowing her heart down, she kept flicking through the dictionary now pulled up on her kindle now that she had their attention. “Wa-watashi… ah- watashi teiku-” The woman pointed at the boy’s body, swallowing hard again at the man’s hard stare, “-Ji-Jitaku.”

No reaction.

“Watashi teiku jitaku!” She gestured at both the boy and the headband she held now in hopes of a response.

“Konohagakure, sono hōhōdesu.” Was the brief response with a pointed hand in the direction that the carriage had come from. She nodded, stepping further off the road to let them pass. It rattled by, the occupants not visible to her.

Taking a deep breath, the woman finally felt the heat that she was in. Nodding and mumbling to herself, she shed her winter gear until she remained in a long sleeve shirt and jeans. She was tempted to bring it along with her, but decided against it because of her task ahead. Tucking the dictionary back into her bag, she gathered up the loose items on the boy’s body and tucked those away as well.

Front loading the bag onto her chest, she lifted the boy’s corpse into a standing position and flipped him onto her back in a fireman’s carry. He couldn’t have weighed more than a hundred pounds, but she knew how heavy he would get with the distance she had ahead of her. 

Setting off to wherever that carriage driver had pointed to, she could only wonder what the hell was going on.

\------------------------------

Tired, hungry, hot, and aching to stop moving, the woman pushed forward, unwilling to stop on a now busy road full of travellers coming from her destination. She glared at all of them, wishing they would cease throwing questions she couldn’t understand her way. That actually shut them up for a little bit, making them hurry on their way. Who could blame them? She was the one covered in blood carrying a corpse that was steadily making its way into rigor mortis.

She hopped a little, making the slipping boy rest higher on her shoulders. She had been walking for about an hour now, and was no closer to seeing her destination than she had been those hours ago. She cursed as she tripped again, shuffling her feet quickly to regain her balance. This sucked ass.

One more turn in the road an hour later and the woman could (finally) see where all the traffic had been coming from. The gate was huge! It reminded her of the one they use in the movie Jurassic Park it was that big. But it was still a good half mile away, she realized with a groan. The heat had really taken its toll on her- she hadn’t had any water, and she had puked up whatever had previously been in her stomach, so she was feeling more than a little dizzy.

Whatever this place was called, it looked to have some serious defenses, what with the imposing gates and equally imposing walls it was attached to. While the gates were wide open for travel, she had no doubt that if they were to shut, no one would be able to get in unless they wanted them to.

Walking at a snail’s pace, she could see the engravings above the gates. She might have cried from relief if she were properly hydrated. The symbol above the gates was the same as the one on the boy’s headband. She was in the right place!

Her joy, however, was short-lived. You see, now that she was so close to the village, the people moving out of the gates were very loud in expressing their disgust at what she carried on her back. That was most definitely heard by the guards at the gate. Not even 200 meters away, and she was suddenly knocked off her feet, losing her grip on the boy and landing off the side of the road.

Hissing from the pain erupting from the back of her skull, she stilled at the feel of a blade pressed against her throat. Heart rate skyrocketing, her words died on her tongue, mouth going dry. 

“On'nanoko o jibun jishin o setsumei shimasu.” A man growled, pressing the blade further into her skin. 

The woman wasn’t proud to admit she started crying at that point, unwelcome tears sliding down her face as she shook with fear. “I-I don’t know what you’re saying, please I’m just trying to bring him home. I mean- uh- I forgot the word. Uh- jito! It wasn’t my fault, jito!” She blubbered, feeling no difference in pressure as the man stared at her. “Uh- Watashi-” 

She whimpered pathetically as the blade broke skin, making her own blood soak into her clothes this time and drip lazily onto her backpack. “Watashi teiku jitaku!” She gasped, trying to hold back sobs as that would only make the blade cut into her further.

Ever so slowly, the man still searching her face, he drew back his blade. He helped her up, took her pack, and bound her wrists in front of her. Still dazed, he grabbed her arm and walked her towards the gate. Looking behind them frantically, she gave an audible sigh when she saw his partner picking up the boy. At least he wouldn’t be left behind.

\------------------

The woman was at a loss for words to say the least to find herself not in a jail cell, but in a rather empty office space. The large desk sat to the right of equally large windows, reflecting the evening light in a cheery way that made her sick to her stomach. Bundles of papers were set on the floor beside it, and an ash tray with a still smoking pipe sat on the top of the desk. Bookcases lined the walls, overflowing with texts that were surely beyond her reading level even if she could understand their language.

Her hands were still bound, though there was no one in the room that she could see. Walking cautiously towards the windows, she looked out of them to see the busy street she had been led down. It had taken ages to get to that little office, and her feet ached from the trek she had made carrying that boy as well. She shook her head, taking a step back as she recognized the gate, not exactly sure of her emotions as she simply sank to the floor in defeat.

Wherever she was… it certainly wasn’t Detroit. She already ruled it out being a dream or a hallucination. Neither of those could be as real as this was. She saw a boy die, held his hand as he bled out. She was so completely useless to him and all she could do was stay with him as he… just died. He was so young too…

She fell asleep with her head on her knees, exhausted from all the things that had occurred. She had no idea the time that had elapsed by the time she was woken by the door opening. It was dark now though, the sun having set, and the office lights not turned on.

Sniffing from an impending crying session, she stood to see whoever had come in. The first one she analysed was an old man, dressed in white robes. Almost like a wizard would dress, she thought, letting out a huff of breath that could have been a laugh. The second was a blond man, about half a foot taller than the old man, with ice blue eyes that bore into her soul.

He frightened her severely. His icy gaze pierced through her like she was nothing, his horn rimmed glasses doing nothing to soften the look. Muscular and thin, he looked like he was in his early thirties.

The silence in the room was palpable. The woman wanted to bolt from this man who looked like he was contemplating how to kill her and hide the evidence. But the only escape route was behind the pair.

“Jiko shōkai sa sete kudasai. Watashi wa Sarutobi.” The old man said, breaking the silence so suddenly that she jumped in surprise. 

“Sarutobi?” She asked. She may have not known Japanese, but she could at least understand him saying his name. The old man nodded his affirmation, looking to the man beside him.

“Kinnosuke.” The blond bowed slightly at his introduction. She nervously nodded back, letting the room fall back into quiet before she realised they were waiting for her to say her name as well.

“Redbird… Cassandra...” Cassandra all but whispered, hating the fact she was shaking like a leaf. Even more so when Kinnosuke began advancing on her. She was terrified, but she brought her trembling chin up and looked the man in the eyes as he towered over her. He took a rough grasp of her hands and cut her bonds loose.

“Redbird, no hurt on you while here.” Kinnosuke said, putting away his knife.

Cassie sucked in a breath, tears threatening to spill over. “You can speak English! Oh thank god, I thought nobody here could understand me!”

“What happen, Redbird?”

“I… I don’t really know myself… I was just trying to go home after work.” Cassandra’s voice had gotten squeaky and she gasped in a few breaths, running her hands through her hair. Kinnosuke’s blank stare urged her to get to the point.

“lt felt like I was sucked through a portal or something. One moment I’m in my apartment building’s lobby, the next I’m on a road next to a boy. He- there was nothing I could do- he was bleeding. Everywhere. Some people drove by after he had d-died. I asked them where he was from by showing the headband he had.”

“He- he said something to me… before he died. I’m just- I don’t know how to speak it. I’m sorry.” Kinnosuke stared so intensely at her, she couldn’t help the tears that streamed down her face. “I didn’t kill him I swear to you.”

Kinnosuke straightened up, turning his head back to address the man behind him. “Watashi wa kanojo wa shinjitsu o katatte imasu.” Kinnosuke sent her another strange look, eyes now looking more tired than searching as they had a moment before. “Why carry boy here when you not know him?”

“I couldn’t leave him on the side of the road. His family and friends would want him back home. I- I put his belongings in my bag.”

The severe man nodded, relaying what she assumed was what she said to the old man. Hugging her arms about herself, she found herself shivering despite the heat. She was still covered in his blood...

“Redbird, we have ninja watch you.”

“What? Ninja? What the hell are you on about?”

“Details are… hard to explain. Ninja are guards.”

“I- you know what- tomorrow I’ll ask questions. And I better get some damn good answers, guy.” Cassandra pointed an accusing finger at Kinnosuke. The man gave a kind of half-smirk at that.

“Anata ga Kinnosuke, kyakka shite imasu.”

“Osu.” The man replied, turning his attention back to her. Gesturing with a nod towards the exit, he led the way, making her stomach drop. She didn’t want to go anywhere with him.

But then, really, had she that much of a choice?

Ten minutes later she found herself in a small apartment, that luckily had a decent looking kitchen. The man left her be with the simple instructions of ‘stay put’. Cassandra was still starving, however her skin crawled, feeling the dried blood that was caked on it. All she wanted was a scorching hot shower… the apartment had a tub.

Trying valiantly (and failing miserably) to ignore how the water turned more and more pink as she scrubbed, Cassandra didn’t even have the decency to be panicked with these turn of events. Surely, she thought, things would work themselves out. After all, if they got her here, shouldn’t they be able to send her back?

Translations:  
‘Anatahadare? Anata wa kamidesu ka?’- Who are you? Are you a god?  
‘Watashi wa ima, okāsan o miru koto wa dekimasu ka?’- Can I see mom now?  
‘Jito’- Accident  
‘Watashi teiku jitaku’- I take home  
‘Konohagakure, sono hōhōdesu’- Konohagakure is that way  
‘On'nanoko o jibun jishin o setsumei shimasu’- Explain yourself, girl  
‘Jiko shōkai sa sete kudasai. Watashi wa Sarutobi.’- Allow me to introduce myself. I am Sarutobi.  
‘Watashi wa kanojo wa shinjitsu o katatte imasu.’- I think she’s telling the truth.  
‘Anata ga Kinnosuke, kyakka shite imasu.’- Kinnosuke, you’re dismissed.  
‘Osu.’- Yes, sir.


End file.
